Standards Update | ISO/TS 15066 Revision Released: New Specifications for Collaborative Robot Safety Requirements

Recently, the International Organization for Standardization officially released the revised ISO/TS15066 "Robots and robotic devices — Collaborative robots technical specification," an important update since the standard was first published in 2016. As the core technical specification in global collaborative robot safety, this revision adjusts multiple safety requirements and test methods, with far-reaching impact on global collaborative robot design, production and market access.

Revision Background: Technology Progress Drives Standard Upgrade

ISO/TS15066 is the core reference standard for collaborative robot safety, specifying technical requirements for four collaboration modes (safety-rated monitored stop, hand guiding, speed and separation monitoring, power and force limiting), and is an important compliance basis for product entry into the EU and other markets.

As collaborative robot technology develops rapidly and application scenarios expand, some indicators and test methods in the original standard no longer fit new technologies and scenarios. Meanwhile, the global spread of human-machine collaboration applications also raises higher safety requirements. Against this background, ISO launched the standard revision, and after multiple rounds of discussion and verification, officially released the new version.

Core Updates: Force Limits, Test Methods and Scenario Specifications

Optimized force and pressure limits: Based on the latest biomechanical research data, contact force and pressure limits for different body parts are fine-tuned and detailed, making safety thresholds more scientific — protecting personnel safety while avoiding excessive limits on robot performance.

Improved test and verification methods: Updated safety function test processes and verification methods, with clearer test specifications for collision testing, speed monitoring and force detection, improving standard executability and consistency.

Supplemented complex scenario specifications: Added safety design and assessment guidelines for new application forms such as multi-robot collaboration, mobile platform + collaborative robot combinations and dynamic operation scenarios, adapting to expanding application scenarios.

Industry Impact: Higher Barriers, Promoting Regulated Industry Development

The standard update's impact on the industry will gradually emerge:

For equipment makers, product design and safety functions need optimization per the new standard, test verification processes updated, and products exported to the EU and other regions need synchronous certification updates. Short-term R&D and certification costs will increase, but long-term will drive industry technology level improvement and regulate market competition.

For end users, procurement needs to focus on new standard compliance, especially for export-oriented manufacturers — choosing equipment meeting the latest standards better meets overseas customer compliance requirements and reduces operational risk.

For industry development, more scientific and complete safety standards will further improve human-machine collaboration safety and reliability, boost company application confidence, and promote collaborative robot adoption in more industries.

Industry experts say the ISO/TS15066 revision is an important milestone in the collaborative robot industry, marking the industry's advance from rapid development to regulated development. As the safety standard system continues to improve, collaborative robots will play greater value in more industrial and commercial scenarios.